Interchurch  World  Movement 
of  North  America 


At  a meeting  in  New  York  City  on  December  17, 
1918,  at  which  135  representatives  of  home  and  foreign 
mission  boards  in  North  America  were  present,  there 
was  unanimous  agreement  that  the  time  had  come  for 
the  working  bodies  of  the  several  communions  so  to  re- 
late their  activities  as  to  present  a united  front  to  the 
world.  A committee  of  twenty  was  appointed  to  out- 
line a plan  for  the  closer  co-operation  of  Churches,  and 
to  present  it  to  various  denominational  boards  that 
would  meet  in  January.  A statement  was  drawn  up 
by  the  committee  which  was  subsequently  endorsed 
by  more  than  sixty  denominational  boards  and  inter- 
denominational agencies . In  this  way  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement  of  North  America  was  launched. 

The  definite  understanding  of  those  who  have 
launched  the  Interchurch  World  Movement  is  that  it 
is  not  an  ecclesiastical  movement  nor  an  effort  to  or- 
ganic church  union.  It  will  not  disturb  the  autonomy 
or  interfere  with  the  administration  of  any  church  or 
board.  Neither  will  it  undertake  to  administer  or  to 
expend  funds  for  any  purpose  beyond  its  own  proper 
administrative  expenses.  It  has  a definite  and  tem- 
porary mission.  It  will  not  duplicate  or  conflict  with 
other  denominational  agencies.  It  does  not  assume 
responsibility  or  authority  in  questions  of  church  or 
missionary  policy,  recognizing  that  these  belong  to  the 


co-operating  agencies  and  organizations.  And  they  dis- 
claim all  statements,  by  whomsoever  made,  contrary 
to  this  declaration  of  principles.  It  is  rather  a co-op- 
erative effort  of  the  missionary,  educational  and  other 
benevolent  agencies  of  the  evangelical  churches  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada  to  secure  the  necessary 
resources  of  men  and  money  and  power  required  for 
their  tasks.  It  is  an  instrumentality  of  education,  of 
co-operation  and  co-ordination  of  administrative  agen- 
cies, which  it  is  designed  to  serve,  not  to  supplant. 

As  its  name  implies,  the  scope  of  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement  is  co-extensive  with  the  world. 
Broadly  speaking,  its  task  is  twofold:  (1)  to  discover 
the  facts,  and  (2)  to  indicate  the  means  of  dealing  with 
them. 

In  order  to  discover  the  facts,  a survey  will  be  made 
of  the  whole  world,  based  on  geographical  rather  than 
ecclesiastical  lines.  Numerous  surveys  of  the  home 
and  foreign  fields  have  been  made  before,  but  these 
have  been,  by  the  nature  of  the  case,  mainly  denomi- 
national. The  information  and  experience  of  many 
of  these  existing  surveys  will  be  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement.  When  the  survey  has 
been  completed,  the  means  to  be  employed  in  dealing 
with  the  facts  discovered  therein  will  be  as  follows: 

1.  A united  budget. 

2.  A united  campaign  of  publicity  and  education. 

3.  A united  financial  drive. 

4.  A united  programme  of  work  on  the  mission 
field  and  in  the  local  church  at  hom,e. 

On  the  basis  of  the  world  survey  it  is  proposed  that 
a single  joint  budget  be  made  which  shall  outline  the 
approximate  responsibility  of  the  evangelical  churches 
of  North  America  for  the  world’s  welfare.  No  esti- 
mate of  the  probable  amount  of  this  budget  will  be 
possible  until  after  the  surveys  are  completed. 


POINTS  OF  THE  BUDGET 

1.  Every  item  of  the  budget  must  approve  itself  to  the  judgment 
of  the  several  missionary  or  benevolent  boards,  so  far  as  it  relates  to 
the  work  of  each  board. 

2.  It  will  have  the  approval  of  a strong  interdenominational  com- 
mittee, aided  by  experts  in  the  various  fields  covered;  this  committee 
to  review  and  harmonize  the  details. 

3.  While  the  budget  will  be  for  a single  year,  it  will  take  account 
of  the  needs  of  a five  year  period. 

4.  This  proposal  will  in  no  way  displace  or  interfere  with  the 
autonomy  or  responsibility  for  administration  of  the  co-operating 
agencies. 

5.  All  funds  should  be  sent,  so  far  as  possible,  direct  to  the  treasu- 
rers of  such  agencies  from  their  natural  constituencies. 

6.  The  full  share  of  each  co-operating  body  in  lives  and  money 
will  be  set  forth  in  the  budget,  as  well  as  the  grand  total. 

7.  Provision  must  be  made  for  receiving  and  distributing  funds 
which  may  be  contributed  without  being  sent  through  denominational 
treasurers.  Therefore,  a central  treasury  will  be  established  to  which 
funds  given  for  the  united  budget,  but  contributed  through  ordinary 
church  channels,  may  be  reported  by  the  co-operating  agencies. 
Through  this  central  treasury,  also,  donors  who  so  elect  may  contri- 
bute directly  to  the  united  budget. 

8.  The  functions  of  the  central  treasury  will  be  to  assemble  and 
report  the  financial  facts  connected  with  the  campaign;  to  disburse 
funds  for  the  common  expense  of  the  campaign,  and  to  serve  as  a 
clearing  house  for  the  co-operating  agencies  in  order  that  each  may 
receive  its  pro  rata  share  of  the  funds  obtained,  as  agreed  on  in  ad- 
vance according  to  its  percentage  in  the  united  budget. 

FINANCES  OF  THE  INTERCHUHCH  WORLD  MOVEMENT 

1.  The  movement  will  be  financed  out  of  the  funds  obtained,  not 
by  direct  assessment  upon  participating  bodies. 

2.  The  cost  of  the  campaign  will  depend  upon  the  size  of  the  bud- 
get. Before  the  war  it  would  probably  have  been  reckoned  at  about 
234  per  cent,  of  the  total.  Now  it  will  probably  be  nearer  334  per 
cent. 

3.  To  meet  the  immediate  expenses  of  the  Interchurch  World 
Movement  credits  will  be  established  by  the  co-operating  boards  of 
the  churches.  They  will  not  advance  money,  but  will  provide  credit 
on  which  the  Movement  can  borrow.  Several  boards  have  already 
taken  action  underwriting  credit  for  the  Movement. 

If  any  communion  has  obtained  all  the  money  it  needs  for  the  next 
five  years  it  can  enter  on  the  other  phases  of  the  Movement’s  pro- 
gramme. It  is  left  to  the  churches  to  define  the  plan  by  which  they 
will  come  in  on  the  financial  side. 


The  Board  of  Missions,  at  its  meeting  on  February 
12,  1919,  on  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  Twenty, 
dated  January  1919,  brought  to  its  attention,  took  the 
following  action: 

Resolved  : That  the  Board  of  Missions  has  read  with  interest 
the  communication  of  February  3,  1919,  from  the  26th  Foreign 
Missions  Conference  of  North  America,  and  expresses  its  hope 
that  in  the  interest  of  Christian  fellowship,  the  Church  will  find 
it  possible  to  co-operate  in  the  Movement  as  therein  outlined  to 
the  full  extent  of  its  power. 

As  the  financial  campaign  of  the  Interchurch  World 
Movement  will  be  held  in  the  Spring  of  1920,  possibly 
in  March,  and  as  the  Every  Member  Canvass  of  the 
Nation  Wide  Campaign  will  be  held  December  7,  1919, 
our  campaign  will  be  over  before  the  date  of  the  Inter- 
churcli  World  Movement  financial  campaign.  It 
seems  desirable,  however,  that  we  should  keep  step 
with  the  Interchurch  World  Movement  in  every  way 
possible. 

The  above  matter  was  considered  by  the  Board  of 
Missions  at  its  meeting  on  October  6,  1919.  After 
full  discussion  it  was  referred  to  a committee  composed 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ernest  M.  Stires,  the  Rev.  Dr.  B.  T. 
Rogers  and  the  Very  Rev.  Carroll  M.  Davis  for  con- 
sideration and  report. 

The  committee  offered  the  following,  which  was 
adopted  unanimously  by  the  Board. 

Resolved  : That  the  Board  of  Missions  has  read  with  interest 
the  communication  of  February  3,  1919,  from  the  26th  Foreign 
Missions  Conference  of  North  America,  and  expresses  its  hope  that 
in  the  interest  of  Christian  fellowship,  the  Church  will  find  it 
possible  to  co-operate  in  the  Movement  as  therein  outlined  to  the 
full  extent  of  its  power. 

Further  Resolved:  That  the  General  Convention  be  re- 
quested to  authorize  the  Board  of  Missions  to  carry  out  such 
co-operation  provided  that  this  Church  be  not  committed  in  mat- 
ters of  ecclesiastical  polity,  and  that  the  president  of  this  Board 
be  requested  to  present  the  subject  to  the  General  Convention. 


10-19  2M 


